Gareth van Zyl is no stranger to racing – the second of Gavin and Shannon van Zyl’s five children and his father’s longtime assistant, racing is more or less in the blood.
On Friday, 28 October 2016 Gareth saddled his first horses under his own name. His very first runner was a winner when Northern Storm and Anton Marcus came home lonely 1.75 lengths ahead of their maiden field and a little over an hour later, Celtic Captain won the card’s feature, the Listed Jonsson Workwear Michaelmas Handicap under Warren Kennedy. Gareth has firm ideas on his career and where he wants it to go and has his sights set at the top.
Having grown up in a racing home, Gareth says he has had a keen interest in racing for as long as he can remember. “My brother Chesney and I took every opportunity to go to the races as valets for my dad and any of the other jockeys whenever we got the chance. Racing form was probably the first literature I could read, so from a young age I guess I was doomed for the sport.”
More recently, Gareth saddled the winner of the Group 1 Alan Robertson in the form of Vernichey. Clearly a capable horseman, he deserves all the success that comes his way.
Courtesy: Sporting Post